Resources & Information

No one likes getting sick, least of all the most vulnerable among us. The Corona Virus does seem to be highly infectious, due to it’s apparent ability to infect others before the carrier shows any symptoms, and it does seem to be relatively dangerous (with a World Health Organisation estimated fatality rate of 1-2%). So

Whether you’re working in a care home with an agency or as a private carer, There are many problems that are faced. We, as a platform, are trying to help carers face and overcome those problems.  Working in Care Zero-hours contracts have no guaranteed hours or times of work. Their use for care workers helps

Surviving winter becomes harder as you age. You become more vulnerable to illnesses, and there are risks that can impact you more than others. Here, we go through illnesses and other winter risks, that may cause a problem to your loved ones, as well as ways to prevent them. Surviving Winter Illnesses Most people contract

Ever said “I want to be a carer” but didn’t know how to go about it? we’ve got you covered. There are many reasons for someone to become a carer, some are personal, some are not. But no matter what your reasoning behind becoming a carer is, and whether you want to work on the

When choosing your private carer, it is important to find someone you can trust and get along with, whether you’re looking for a respite or long term care. Nothing is more important than how well you get along with your carer, especially if they’ll be spending lots of time with you or your loved one.

Incontinence is a delicate subject for clients and their loved ones and should be approached with sensitivity and compassion. Although a common problem for men and women of all ages, continence issues can drastically reduce a person’s quality of life if not actively managed. This is why you need a continence care plan to help

A lot of people know all about Alzheimer’s or Vascular Dementia, but fewer know about Parkinson’s. On top is this, our understanding of Parkinson’s is changing, as are the treatments, so it is important to keep up, to keep ahead. The Basics What is Parkinson’s Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological condition. This means that

In your time as a carer, you will have worked with multiple dementia patients. Because so many of your patients suffer from Dementia, it is important to keep your knowledge up-to-date. The Basics: What is Dementia: Dementia is an umbrella term that describes a range of neurological disorders. No experience of dementia is identical, but

Identifying and managing the risks in your parent’ home keeps you and them safe. Doing so will reduce the number of falls and other accidents, which means your mother and/or father can live in their home, unaided, for longer. This will save you a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of

Identifying and managing the risks in your client’s home keeps you and them safe. Conduct a risk assessment for the care you will be delivering, during your introductory visit, or your first visit. Doing it during your intro visit is a great way to assure your client that you are a competent professional. You are

Much of the following, you will already know, from training and from your own reading and experience. However, Multiple Sclerosis affects more people every day, so it is worthwhile keeping your knowledge up-to-date. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a life-long neurological condition that affects the nerves and spinal cord. Though MS is a chronic disease, it

Care can be expensive. Whether you need a lot of care, or just a little, it represents a cost that almost all of us have planned for. It is natural to want to deliver as much care as you can yourself, as this is not only better for your parent or child, but also saves

Caring for someone with MS is tough, especially when they are a close family member. More than 100,000 people in the UK have MS, which means 100,000 families are going through the same thing with you. MS, as you know, has no cure, however, it can be effectively managed through a number of medical treatments.

If you are reading this, you probably know a lot about Parkinson’s already. However, just in case you don’t, our favourite Back to the Future kid, Michael J Fox has some fantastic information on Parkinson’s, feel free to read more about it there. I shall assume that you know about Parkinson’s from here on in,

Moving and handling is a central part of caring for the elderly. You will have been training in it multiple times. As an independent carer, working for private clients, you are required to stay up to date with all the manual handling regulations. You must understand all the policies and procedures before lifting any load.

This is an area you know about, and have been trained in, however, it is useful to look at the basics from time to time, to remind ourselves of how to handle toileting, when working with new clients. Considering emotions: Helping a client use the toilet or a bedpan can be a difficult and sometimes

Incontinence is a delicate subject for clients and their loved ones and should be approached with sensitivity and compassion. Although a common problem for men and women of all ages, incontinence can drastically reduce a person’s quality of life if not actively managed. What is incontinence? You will know this from your training, however, for

As a professional carer, it is important to pay close attention to food safety. If you are preparing means for your clients and you don’t follow the correct guidelines, you could find yourself in trouble. Here, we hope to give you a little guidance on preparing food safely. The rules: The Food Safety Act 1990

As a carer, it is important that you make sure that the patients you work with are properly fed and care for. This means working with the patient and the family to make sure that they have a healthy and balanced a diet as possible. Designing and delivering a healthy and balanced diet plan can

As with many of the other senses, sight can get worse with age. Putting aside other forms of blindness and focusing on the issues older people develop,  Leading causes of blindness and sight loss in the elderly: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): This is very common and is just a result of getting old. The central

Decisions have to be made and very difficult conversation have to be had, to keep someone who is classed as vulnerable safe, and to ensure they are receiving the best care and support needed. When a person has the capacity to contribute to the decision-making process and understand the reasons behind the outcomes of assessments

Duty of Care is defined simply as a legal and moral obligation to act in the best interest and safety or well-being of individuals and others, whilst at the same time respecting their needs and choices. This means that you should not go beyond your own level of competence and not do anything you aren’t

Moving or supporting a load by hand, bodily force, or with equipment: Moving and handling is a central part of caring for the elderly. As a family member or a friend, it is essential that you keep up to date with the key manual handling regulations before moving your loved one. ‘Manual handling’ refers to

Medication is one of the trickiest areas to get right, as it is so new to anyone taking on caring responsibilities for an elderly family member or loved one. At PrimeCarers we’re fully aware of the stressful, and often time demanding, requirements that a caring role can involve. That’s why our goal is to provide

This is an absolute minefield. You want to be there helping them as much as possible and they need you there too. But they also want to live their own life. As a family member, it is not always easy to set and maintain the right boundaries, which can result in you accidentally overstepping the

If you’re going to be taking on caring responsibilities for an elderly family member or loved one, ensuring that they maintain a balanced and healthy diet should be high on your list of to-do’s. At PrimeCarers we’re fully aware of the stressful, and often time demanding, requirements that a caring role can involve. That’s why

Dementia is a descriptive term referring to a wide array of brain disorders. It is a  progressive illness that gets worse over time and almost a million people in the UK suffer from it. It is often said that Dementia is one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a person, so it

Incontinence is an extremely personal and delicate subject to approach, especially with your own family members. Here, we will tell you about incontinence and the issues it creates, its causes, how to manage it and finally, how to broach the subject. What is incontinence and how does it impact? You probably already know that incontinence

Carers Allowance pays you to care for your loved ones. It enables you to spend the time you need, caring for your elderly parent, or child, that need significant levels of care. To qualify, you must: Look after that person for at least 35 hours a week Not be in full-time education or studying for

Amazon’s Smart-speaker gives you access to Alexa. Alexa for old people can save thousands of pounds of care and make your loved one’s life easier. All for just £40. In this article, we run through some of the best ways to use Amazon’s Alexa. Getting Alexa for old people into the home: The first thing

Falls among the elderly are very common. In fact, they are the main reason for hospital admissions, often requiring ambulances to be called out to assist. Once over the age of 65 the risk of having a fall at some point in the future rises to 30%, and for people over the age of 80,

As an independent carer, you are responsible for keeping your training certificates up to date. This includes any documents proving your practical skills, which are often necessary components of any training you have received. Keeping up to date with the latest methods, techniques and information is beneficial for both you and your client and will

As we grow older, many of us need a little more support. And the best support begins at home by making the home safe for the elderly. In this article, we’ll guide you through a range of ways to improve the comfort, safety, and accessibility of your loved one’s home. Our needs often increase as

If the person you care for has been taken to hospital after a fall or is in need of an operation, this can be very stressful for you and everyone around them, regardless of age. Here are some tips on what to do before they are discharged from hospital to ensure everything is taken care

It’s good to have a network of support, such as friends, family and neighbours to help you care for your loved ones. Caring is very demanding on your time and your own mental health. Some days you might feel so drained that you just want to cry. You shouldn’t feel guilty about that, it is

Mental health problems can affect anyone of any age, however, as we age, mental health issues can often become exacerbated. People often fail to recognise they are suffering from a mental health issue, so it could be a friend or family member that notices the change first. If you notice your loved one’s mental or

Having grown up with technology, many of us will find it natural to seek out to tech-based solutions to assist us as we age. Even today, there are a wide range of simple, user-friendly apps and devices, specially designed to make the lives of those who are ill or disabled as easy as possible especially

There is a lot of disability equipment available to assist elderly or disabled people in everyday life. Having the right equipment is a huge part of setting up the home and making it safe, so it is important that you get it right. There are magazines and online sites that recommend all sorts of things

When making care arrangements for your loved one, it’s easy to overlook the basics—home elderly security being one of the most important. If your loved one lives alone, they may be more vulnerable to insistent door-to-door salesmen or malicious scams. We’re here to offer you some useful tips to ensure your loved one’s house remains

A Carers Assessment is an assessment of your needs when caring for someone else. It assesses what your needs are, no matter what your social or financial position is. This applies whether you are caring for your parents (Non-parent Carers) or whether you are caring for your own child (Parent carers). This can also apply

Bathing and toileting elderly parents can be an incredibly awkward topic, especially if it is your mother or father’s hygiene habits you are talking about. Keeping your loved ones clean and safe is important though, as it directly contributes to their well-being, and helps keep them safe from infection. Why does this have to be

As we get older, keeping the mind active and healthy is as important as maintaining physical fitness and strength. Mental health is also an essential part of being able to live independently. Participating in activities and games, both in and outside of the home, keeps the mind healthy. Social interaction also reduces isolation and loneliness,

Caring for a loved one at home can be a daunting task, getting help can be costly and worrisome – which is why we want to help. Everyone should be aware of infection control; not just when you are caring for someone but also when looking after yourself. Infections can spread very quickly and easily to

Yesterday (Monday 2nd Sept) Guardian Money asked readers for advice to acouple who were looking for care solutions for their elderly parents. You can read the article and the comments here. Readers have shared some valuable advice and opinions much of which we agree with, but we had to jump in and bust a few

When you begin working with a private client, you may be classed as self-employed. The definition is constantly changing to accommodate new business models, so it is important that you check what you are classed as yourself. If you work for multiple clients, can set your own wage and are not supervised then, at the

Paying for your homecare may seem very confusing, especially if you’ve never dealt with it before. You may have questions about finances, such as will you have to sell your house to pay for care? Can the Local authority provide funding for care in your own home? What assistance can you get? There are many

As an independent carer, you may be asked to support with finance-related tasks and make purchases for your clients. Handling money can require a lot of trust, so making sure you and your client are as protected as possible is important for earning it. Why would you need to handle your client’s money? Unfortunately, many

Being a great carer is all about care, compassion, consideration, and the ability to communicate effectively. Knowing how to work professionally and deliver care safely is important, so what carer training should you be doing as a private carer? As a carer, you are expected to have good observational skills, whilst delivering a high standard

When people employ private carers, one of the issues that often comes up is money. Working with a private carer requires a great deal of trust, and paying for home care is probably new to you. By making sure you pay your home carer fairly you build that trust and in return get a fantastic,

There are lots of reasons to become an independent carer or decide to pick up a few private clients around your existing work and family commitments. Why you should become a private carer Earn more: You take home everything you earn, whereas agencies take up to 70% of the amount charged to the client Work